Second principle of effective communication:

The second principle of effective communications is to listen and understand first. Do not send out a message until you know what your audience needs. If you are concerned about the quality of somebody’s work, for example, do not jump in and issue an official warning. First find out what the employee’s perception is. Use active listening skills to really probe the situation. Reformulate the employee’s words, for example, echo the last words of their sentences, and invite them to say a little more if they are hesitant. That way, if you discover the family has a seriously sick child or a big financial problem, you will start to understand what is behind the poor performance. You can then decide on the appropriate action and then you can reach a step closer to effective communication.

Third principle of effective communication:

The third principle is to understand that communication is more than the surface meaning of words. You need to be able to interpret other people’s messages. This is just another form of feedback. Let’s say you make an announcement and your group is discussing the information with you. They may feel inhibited about disagreeing openly, but read the signs because you don’t have to be openly aggressive to show disagreement: note the body language, the kinds of words they use, the tone of voice. Somebody who is receptive will give you eye contact, will lean forward and will participate by asking questions, or offering to assist in some way. Those who are not in favour will look elsewhere, maybe fold their arms, use vague language instead of precise terms.

Fourth principle of Effective communication

Last but not the least, the fourth principle is respect. If you base your communications on lies, if you try to mislead people, if you ignore their needs and rights, they will see that you don’t respect them and they will lose respect for you.

So remember the four principles of effective communication to build healthy personal and working relationships.